Judge Green Lights Lawsuit Accusing PepsiCo of Deceptively Advertising Protein Bars

A lawsuit against food and beverage giant PepsiCo alleging it made false claims about how healthy its Gatorade protein bars are can proceed, a federal judge ruled on Aug. 15. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Casey Pitts in San Jose, California, said the three consumer plaintiffs in the legal challenge against PepsiCo had plausibly alleged that the company’s marketing and labeling was deceptive. As a result, the judge said the lawsuit can move forward. The ruling stems from a class-action lawsuit filed against PepsiCo in 2023 by three self-described fitness enthusiasts alleging the company “deceptively advertises that its Gatorade Protein Bars promote consumers’ fitness, health, athleticism, and well-being when they in fact contain high levels of total and added sugars that render such claims misleading.”...